National Honor Society (NHS) held Melanoma Awareness Week from Feb. 26 to March 2 to raise awareness for this crucial issue which affects more than 2 million people every year. Led by officer Tanvi Ingle ‘18 and with the help of the different NHS committees, this event, which was being planned since January, was finally able to take place.

The week was full of various activities such as applying sunscreen and wearing hats and black clothing, which promoted the knowledge of the harmful effects of UV rays from the sun. With the help of the Melanoma Education Foundation, NHS was able to make these ideas come to life to teach and interact with the students while promoting this issue.

“We partnered with the Melanoma Education Foundation, which has a similar goal: to prevent melanoma amongst the newer generation, and they provided some amazing materials for us,” Ingle said. “From that, we had a great committee that lead and directed a series of week long activities that really took the school by storm.”

On the final day, students dressed up in outdoorsy gear to to celebrate sun protection and acknowledge the harmful side effects of long term exposure to it. In addition, students signed a poster pledge during their lunch to further draw to the importance of melanoma awareness.

“Friday was definitely one of my favorite days because it was a really great way to conclude the week and bring everyone up to sign a pledge that we can hang in our hallways and just remind us to take better care of ourselves,” Carolyn Cravey ’18 said.  

For further information on melanoma awareness, visit https://www.melanomaeducation.net/.